Passive Income Ideas For Video Game Designers [2024]
Interested in earning passive income as a video game designer in 2024?
We put together a few of the best passive income ideas you can start as a video game designer today. These will help you increase your quality of life by bringing in more income for yourself or your business.
For each income idea, we’ll show you real-world examples, revenue expectations for each idea, plus some things you might need to know before you start your passive income journey as a video game designer.
Here's the full list:
1. Make passive income with a YouTube channel ($72.1K/month)
As a video game designer, starting a YouTube channel could be an excellent way to supplement your income and share your expertise. You could create content that showcases your design process, offering how-to guides on game development, or even provide tips and tricks for aspiring game designers. Your unique insights and behind-the-scenes looks at game creation could attract a dedicated audience.
Additionally, your channel could feature gameplay videos, reviews of popular games, or even live-streamed sessions where you interact with viewers. Revenue could come from ads, sponsorships, or merchandise related to your channel. While building and maintaining a successful YouTube channel requires effort and consistency, the opportunity to share your passion for game design and earn passive income makes it a promising pursuit.
How much you can make: $2,000 — $333,333/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,250 (?)
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
This case study follows the journey of a young entrepreneur from Nigeria who started a profitable blog generating a monthly revenue of $1,500+ through sales of advertising space, sponsored posts, and information products, and shares his strategies for success including a Twitter growth challenge and guest post pitches.
2. Make passive income with a mobile app ($70.3K/month)
If you're a video game designer, creating a mobile app could be a practical way to supplement your income and potentially generate passive revenue. Your skills in planning user experiences and designing engaging interfaces are directly transferrable to app development. Whether it's a fun game, a productivity tool, or an innovative service, you could create something that appeals to a wide audience.
Developing a mobile app doesn’t require you to be an expert coder; you could start with basic coding knowledge or collaborate with a skilled developer. The key tasks involve planning your app's features, designing user-friendly screens, and ensuring the app is free of bugs. If you market your app effectively, it could reach a broad user base and bring in considerable downloads, turning your creative idea into a steady income stream.
How much you can make: $1 — $500,000/month
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
BACH, an app that plans and books bachelorette parties, has grown from $0 to >$1M net revenue run rate in less than 6 months, gained over 100,000 users in their first 60 days, and has over 40,000 parties using the app this month.
3. Make passive income with an online course sales business ($85K/month)
As a video game designer, you could supplement your income by creating and selling online courses about your areas of expertise. Many people are eager to learn about game design, including topics such as character modeling, level design, and coding for games. By sharing your knowledge, you could help others break into the industry while earning extra money.
This can turn into passive income because, after the initial effort of creating the course, you could continue to make money from sales with minimal ongoing effort. Simply select a target audience, develop informative and engaging content, and choose an online platform to host and sell your course. With the e-learning market projected to be worth over $645 billion in the next few years, there's a significant opportunity to tap into this lucrative market.
How much you can make: $100 — $300,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $2,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 180 days (?)
A multipreneur shares how she built a successful print on demand side hustle, generating $120,000 per year through multiple brands spread over various platforms.
4. Make passive income with a niche blog ($31.5K/month)
Starting a niche blog could be a great way for you as a video game designer to share your industry insights and design tips, helping others who are interested in game design or the video game industry. You could write articles, create how-to guides, conduct video interviews with fellow designers, and offer your commentary on the latest trends and tools in game design.
By choosing a specific aspect of game design that you are passionate about, you can attract a dedicated readership. You could also monetize your blog by using affiliate links for design tools and software, collaborating with brands, and offering sponsored content.
As your blog grows, you might even get opportunities to speak at events or turn your popular blog posts into a YouTube channel. Consistently providing valuable content and engaging with your audience will be key to building a successful passive income stream through your niche blog.
How much you can make: $100 — $650,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $650 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Starter Story grew to 1.4 million monthly visitors and millions in annual revenue by sharing the stories of entrepreneurs. Pat breaks down the early days and how he grew the business into something that changed his life.
5. Make passive income with a niche website ($107K/month)
As a video game designer, starting a niche website could be a fantastic way to supplement your income and share your expertise with a dedicated audience. Imagine creating a site focused on specific areas like game design tutorials, reviews of development tools, or insights into the gaming industry. Your specialized knowledge can attract readers who are eager to learn from your experience, and over time, this audience could grow progressively.
By investing time in creating compelling content and optimizing for search engines, your site could draw a steady stream of visitors. Once you have built an audience, you could monetize your website through affiliate marketing, ad placements, or even selling your own digital products like eBooks or design templates. This proactive effort could eventually turn your site into a steady source of passive income.
How much you can make: $400 — $250,000/month
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
DPW (Digital Procurement World) is a fast-growing conference and community in procurement that has more than tripled in revenue since launching in 2019, capping out the year at €1.8 million, with 95% of their growth coming from inbound traffic leveraging LinkedIn and applying social selling techniques.
6. Make passive income with an affiliate marketing business ($77.5K/month)
As a video game designer, starting an affiliate marketing business could supplement your income by leveraging your knowledge and passion for video games. You could promote gaming-related products and services that you genuinely enjoy and recommend, such as game development tools, software, or even gaming hardware. By sharing your insights and experiences, you could create content that resonates with other gaming enthusiasts and professionals, driving them to purchase through your affiliate links.
This side hustle can fit seamlessly into your existing skill set and interests, allowing you to monetize your expertise in the gaming industry. By partnering with brands and companies that offer products you believe in, you could earn commissions on the sales generated through your promotions. Over time, as your audience grows, this passive income stream could provide a significant financial boost, complementing your main career.
How much you can make: $500 — $773,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $700 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
This case study explores how Spencer Mecham founded Buildapreneur, an affiliate marketing business, and has made over half a million dollars in profit with no employees, relying solely on content marketing through platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
7. Make passive income with an ai based business solution ($55.8K/month)
As a video game designer, you could leverage your creativity and analytical skills to start an AI-based business solution. By applying AI to optimize game development processes, manage player data more effectively, and tailor marketing efforts, you could create tools that other game developers would find invaluable.
Imagine developing AI tools that automate repetitive coding tasks, analyze player behavior to improve game design, or predict game trends to inform future projects. These solutions not only save time and reduce costs but also allow game designers to focus on what they do best—creating engaging and immersive experiences.
The market for AI solutions is growing rapidly, so diving into this field could provide a significant new revenue stream. Even if you're not a tech guru, there are many platforms with user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive support to help you get started. This could be a smart way to complement your existing skills and enter a booming industry.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $120,000/month
How long does it take to build: 125 days (?)
Mikkelsen Twins grew an online education company from scratch with over 800 students, making over 6-figures in profit every month thanks to their successful program, Audiobook Income Academy 2.0.
8. Make passive income with a social media automation business ($139K/month)
As a video game designer, you could leverage your technical background and creativity to start a social media automation business. Imagine effortlessly managing multiple social media accounts with tools that schedule posts, automate interactions, and analyze data. This will let your clients—ranging from small businesses to influencers—gain more time while enhancing their social media presence.
Considering the growing importance of social media engagement, there's a big demand for automation solutions. You would need to develop or integrate software, stay updated on social media trends, and build good relationships with clients to tailor your services to their needs. This endeavor could be both lucrative and fulfilling, particularly if you already have a knack for technology and marketing.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $400,000/month
How long does it take to build: 50 days (?)
MeetEdgar, a bootstrapped social media automation tool founded in 2014 by Laura Roeder, has grown to $4 million in annual recurring revenue and more than 5,000 customers, with a team size of two dozen, achieved through content marketing, social media marketing, and organic search.
9. Make passive income with a stock photography business ($14.6K/month)
As a video game designer, you have a keen eye for detail and composition, which could translate well into a stock photography business. By creating high-quality stock photos and selling them to businesses for marketing purposes, you could earn a passive income. Websites and bloggers are always in need of fresh images, and your artistic skills can help meet that demand.
Starting this side hustle could be straightforward: invest in a good camera, learn the basics of photography, and build an impressive online portfolio. Each time someone purchases one of your photos, you earn money without having to invest further effort. It's a creative way to supplement your income while leveraging your existing talents.
How much you can make: $1,200 — $45,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $3,500 (?)
How long does it take to build: 60 days (?)
Pro Photo Studio founder Tsour Lee Adato shares how she turned a $5k investment into a business that services over 500 clients annually and makes approximately $350k per year with plans to expand and become a 7-figure business while offering advice to fellow entrepreneurs to always be innovating, learning and growing, and not to undervalue themselves.
10. Make passive income with a wordpress plugin business ($33.4K/month)
Starting a WordPress plugin business could be a great way for a video game designer to make extra money. If you've used WordPress, you know it relies on plugins to run smoothly. As a designer, you likely have an eye for problems and solutions, which is crucial in creating a successful plugin.
By developing a plugin that addresses a specific need, you could earn passive income. You could sell your plugins on platforms like CodeCanyon or even on your own website. This allows you to leverage your existing skills in a new way while providing an additional revenue stream.
How much you can make: $120 — $120,000/month
How much does it cost to start: $5,000 (?)
How long does it take to build: 120 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Wheely Sales CEO Josh created a lucky wheel popup that has grown revenue from $0 to $600/month in just 4 months since getting started and has attracted over 1.1 million users to his customers’ websites, all while proving that when it comes to creating a product, competition is validation.
11. Print on demand business ($411K/month)
As a video game designer, you could start a print-on-demand business to supplement your income by leveraging your unique design skills. With this business model, you could create custom apparel, home goods, phone cases, and other merchandise with your original game-inspired artwork or designs, without the need for upfront inventory costs. This allows you to channel your creativity into products that could appeal to fans and gamers alike.
You could use platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy as virtual storefronts to reach a global audience, focusing on designing trendy and unique products. This model allows you to run the business from home, making it a flexible side hustle that fits around your primary career. By tapping into your existing skill set and interests, you could build a scalable business at your own pace, turning your creative ideas into a steady stream of passive income.
How much you can make: $200 — $3,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 30 days (?)
Time commitment per week: Min. 5 hours/week
Founder Roy Kirchner shares how he started an eCommerce business specializing in 3D printing with an initial investment of $65,000, which now averages monthly gross sales of $330,000 and has partnered with international manufacturers and local businesses while offering technical support and education.
12. Make passive income with an AI writing tool ($255K/month)
As a video game designer, starting an AI writing tool could be an excellent way to supplement your income. With your experience in storytelling, narrative design, and character development, you have a unique perspective on what makes engaging and compelling content. This could give you an edge when developing a tool that creates high-quality, automated content.
You could create a tool that helps not only writers and bloggers but also your peers in the gaming industry who need to generate scripts, dialogues, and game narratives quickly. By tapping into the demand for efficient and error-free content creation, you would be providing a valuable service that saves people time and effort. Additionally, this venture could open new doors for you in the tech and educational sectors, expanding your professional network while bringing in passive income.
How much you can make: $4,000 — $1,000,000/month
How long does it take to build: 52 days (?)
Rytr, a new AI writing assistant developed by a startup platform and business incubator, has become a market leader, serving over 300,000 customers across the world and doing seven figures in ARR.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
